Asian Marinated Cucumbers

The sushi restaurant behind my house, Japon, has these wonderful little marinated cucumbers that they serve only if you're sitting at the sushi bar.  I know they couldn't be that hard to make so I tried re-creating them from some recipes I found on the web and ingredients in my pantry.  They are a great little Asian appetizer that gets better each day it marinates.

Ingredients:

-1 English Cucumber (or 2 Japanese cucumbers)
-1/4 cup rice vinegar
-2 Tbsp sesame oil
-1-2 Tbsp salt
-1 tsp sugar
-pinch - 2 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how much kick you want)


First, wash, pat dry, and thinly slice your cucumbers.  Either use a sharp knife or wider setting on a mandolin.  Put the cucumber slices in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1-2 Tbsp salt.  Just enough to cover each slice with a bit of salt.  Toss them to get evenly coated.

Let the cucumbers sit for about 15 minutes until they've absorbed some of the salt.  Place them in a colander/strainer and rinse off the salt.  Rinse out the large bowl and make the sauce.  Add 1/4 rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp sesame oil and 1 tsp sugar with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you want them spicier!). Whisk together.  Add the cucumber back in the bowl with the sauce. Toss until evenly coated.

Place them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight before serving.  You want them to chill and absorb the flavors.  After a few days in the fridge there will begin to be a lot of liquid in the bottom of the tupperware.  You can either leave it there and use a slotted spoon to remove the cucumbers or pour it out.

Enjoy this light snack day after day or devour them as an appetizer for an Asian themed dinner-party.

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